“It’s saltwater,” he said, like some kind of mind reader. “I can’t stand the smell of chlorine, and I have a kraken friend who needs to soak in saltwater regularly, so it seemed like the right move.”
“You have a kraken friend?” I asked in awe.
They were one of the rarest monster species, and I’d never had the opportunity to meet one before.
Atlas nodded. “He’s one of my best friends. You might see him here every once in a while.”
I stared at the shining water, imagining a kraken swimming beneath the surface. “I hope so.”
“This way,” he said, motioning for me to follow him through yet another door.
This one led to an open staircase, giving us a view of the gym floor as we climbed up to the second story.
“And up here we have the cardio machines, a few studios for classes, and another set of locker rooms.” He leaned against the railing, glancing down at the gym below.
“This place is so nice,” I said, leaning next to him so close that our arms were touching.
“Thank you. It took a lot of work but I’m happy with how things turned out.” The way he smiled when he talked about the gym told me as much.
“I hope this doesn’t come off as rude, but where did you get the money to do all this? Do you have investors or…?”
He laughed. “When I was still in college, my grandmother passed away and left me a good amount of money. My older brothers are financial advisers, and they convinced me to invest it. At the time, I didn’t think I was making the right choice, but it paid off in the long run. Thanks to the mayor’s grant program, I got the building for pretty cheap, and I used the gains I got from investing to remodel and buy all the equipment.”
“Wow. That’s wild.” Meanwhile, I was scraping by in the hopes I could buy an industrial deep fryer to increase Selene’s donut production. “Are your brothers taking on new clients?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “I’d be afraid to introduce you to them.” His body stiffened, like he couldn’t believe he’d just said that. “Anyway, I should probably get back to the front desk. New clients aren’t going to be able to sign up themselves.”
“Okay,” I said quietly.
I followed him down a different staircase, one that led right back to the entrance of the gym.
“Do you need me to show you how any of the equipment works or anything?” he asked while avoiding eye contact and focusing his golden eyes on something on the other side of the gym.
My cheeks reddened and I shook my head, refusing maybe just a little too vigorously. “Nope. I am good. I totally know what I’m doing.”
“Well, uh, okay, then.” He nodded his head and rubbed the back of his neck as he stretched, his tank top riding up just enough to show off his fur-covered Adonis belt.
He looked so fucking good.
And I was staring.
I had to get out of there.
“I’ll see ya,” I said as I quickly glanced away and hefted my gym bag onto my shoulder.
“See ya.” He wiggled his claws at me as I turned on my heel and headed toward the locker room.
Why was walking away from him so hard?
Eleven
Atlas
Thank gods I was behindthe desk because as I watched Tegan struggle with the Smith machine from across the gym, my dick swelled in my shorts.
There was something about the little grunts she made and the way her muscles strained and quivered that did it for me. I wondered if I could wring those same noises from her body, to make her quake with pleasure.
I had to stop.
